Best Marathons for Running Groups & Clubs in 2026

Chicago (October, 54,000 runners) is the standout for crews. It pairs a near-flat 35 m course with 1.7 million spectators across 29 neighborhoods, dozens of community cheer zones and a dedicated Charity Block Party near Mile 15, so even a large group keeps high energy and easy meet-up points. London (59,830) and Berlin (48,000) are close behind with similarly huge fields and dense crowd support. If your group includes nervous first-timers, Honolulu is the gentlest pick of all because there is no time limit, so the slowest walker finishes the same as everyone else.

Many do, through charity and affiliated-club routes rather than a simple bulk discount. London allocates club places by size: clubs with 40-189 affiliated members get one guaranteed entry, clubs over 190 get two, and clubs of 10-39 go into a separate club ballot. Chicago runs a charity and team program, and the World Marathon Majors generally offer charity bibs that bypass the public lottery. For domestic and Asian races such as Shanghai and Seoul, clubs are often allocated dedicated slots organised by a club captain. Always confirm the current year's rules on the official race site before you plan around them.

Do not try to run as one blob. Split into subgroups by goal time and assign each to an official pace group. Berlin runs pacers from 3:00 to 5:00 across its four start waves, and London fields pacers from sub-3:00 out to 7:30, so almost every ability has a flag to follow. Agree a single post-race meeting point in advance (the family-reunion or charity area works well). Use our Pace Calculator to set each runner's realistic splits, and the Finish Time Calculator to predict who crosses when so you know the order to expect at the finish.

Prioritise a generous cutoff so nobody gets swept. Honolulu (December, 30,000 runners) has no time limit at all and keeps the course open until the last finisher, which removes the single biggest fear for a first marathoner. Ibusuki Nanohana in Japan gives a rare 8-hour cutoff on a certified course, and Bangkok and Tokyo both allow 7 hours. Pair the slowest cutoff with a wide pacer range and your fastest and slowest members can run the same race without anyone feeling rushed or held back.

This list spreads across nine months, so you can match a date to your training block: spring options include Paris and London in April and Seoul in March; autumn brings Berlin (late September), Chicago (October) and Amsterdam (October); and there are warm-weather end-of-year choices in Honolulu, Naha and Shanghai in December. For majors with lotteries, decide on the race roughly a year out so the whole group can enter the same ballot window. Lock in your group's training start with our Training Start Date tool once you have the date.

Matching club singlets or bright custom tech shirts in a colour that stands out make teammates and spectators easy to find in a 50,000-strong field; avoid cotton and choose moisture-wicking fabric. Some groups add matching arm sleeves or headbands as a backup identifier. Check the race-day forecast with our What to Wear tool, since a warm race like Honolulu or Naha needs very different kit from a cool Berlin or Seoul morning, and build a shared kit list with our Packing List so nobody forgets bib pins or chafing balm.